Kukla's Korner Hockey

"It's a great hockey city," said Buffalo Coach Lindy Ruff, who is in his eighth season, the longest tenure among current N.H.L. coaches. "To go from where we were at, from being without ownership to getting ownership and out of bankruptcy, we've really turned the corner."
"We came out of the gate a very disciplined club, which, I think, put us ahead," Ruff said. "We took less penalties than other clubs."
Buffalo's most impressive statistic may be its attendance. The team averaged fewer than 14,000 fans in 2002-3 and little more than 15,000 in 2003-4, the last season before the lockout. This season, HSBC Arena is regularly at or near its capacity of 18,690.